RADIO ZONE

The Newcomers BBC Radio Berkshire

From October 24

An important anniversary is revisited in a radio play to be broadcast on BBC Radio Berkshire.

Reading-based RABBLE Theatre is commemorating 50 years since the arrival of 1,600 Ugandan Asians to Greenham Common this month.

The Newcomers is a new radio play produced in collaboration with BBC Radio Berkshire, starring household names from TV who are delighted to be working on such an important project.

Cast member Bhasker Patel (Rishi Sharma in Emmerdale), said: “Although my mother and four sisters left Uganda with me before the horrific events depicted in this brilliant play, I still have vivid memories of my family home in Lugazi. It is a special place held very dear to me and I am so pleased that RABBLE have chosen to commemorate the events and the brave people who were affected.”

The Newcomers follows the story of the Patels, a hard working family of integrity, split from their father, evicted from their Ugandan home and rushed to Berkshire. They arrive with nothing but a suitcase each and £50, forced to start over, amidst mixed reaction from the local population.

Pragna Hay, who wrote the play with Beth Flintoff, said: “ln learning about our ancestors we can see patterns of overcoming failure and surviving hard times. I am only here because they were there. I hope this play can shine a light into the dimly lit hallways of the past.”

The Newcomers will broadcast Monday October 24 to Friday 28 at 9.50am. A one-hour omnibus edition will be aired on Sunday October 30 at 2pm.